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20 Dec 22. Chief of the General Staff expresses gratitude to all dedicated personnel serving over Christmas. The Chief Of The General Staff recorded a festive message for all British Army personnel and their families.
Chief of the General Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders has shared his gratitude for the “dedication, the service and the commitment” of the UK’s Armed Forces.
In a special Christmas message dedicated to serving personnel and their families, Gen Sanders spoke about his own experience of serving overseas during the festive period.
He said: “I’ve served on operations on a number of Christmases and in some respects, they are some of the most remarkable memories I have, because of the sense of family that you generate on those overseas deployments, and sharing Christmas with your mates from the battalion or the regiment or the units that you’re serving with.”
However, in his first Christmas message since taking on the role of Chief of the General Staff in June 2022, the head of the British Army said he is “very conscious” that many people watching the message will be away from their families over Christmas and wants to reassure them that while they may be out of sight, they “are very much in our mind and in our prayers”. (Source: forces.net)
19 Dec 22. Italy defence minister demands equal weight in UK, Japan fighter partnership.
- Companies
- Italy wants “same weight” on technology, research, results
- Partnership eventually open to rival European projects
- Rome reiterates support for Ukraine, focus on peace efforts
- Deep changes needed in European defence structure
Italy must have equal treatment in a partnership with Britain and Japan to develop a new jet fighter, Rome’s defence minister told Reuters, as talks proceed to define the roles each country has in the ambitious project.
The three nations this month announced the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) venture to develop by 2035 a next generation jet which would combine the British-led Tempest project with Japan’s F-X programme.
The partnership came as France, Germany and Spain moved forward with a rival plan to build a warplane in a broad European bid to strengthen security against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, a co-founder of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, said Rome would make a final decision on how much to invest in the multi-bn-dollar project after more details had been defined.
“Italy can only continue along this path if it has the same weight as Japan and Britain on technology, research and later, if it comes to that, on the results,” he said in an interview, adding that he wanted a “33%-33%-33%” breakdown.
Britain’s BAE Systems PLC (BAES.L), Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (7011.T) and Italy’s defence group Leonardo (LDOF.MI) will lead the design of the aircraft, with European missile maker MBDA and other companies also participating.
Crosetto said there should be no bar on joining forces with the rival European programme, adding that the GCAP should also aim to find new partners, especially within Europe.
“I think the challenge is to accelerate significantly the research and technology part and then become attractive to other nations in the next two or three years,” he said.
UKRAINE FRONT
Italy’s parliament last week gave a green light to dispatch more arms to Ukraine, after five packages were approved under the previous administration led by Mario Draghi.
Italy has never disclosed details of its shipments, but Crosetto confirmed that Kyiv had requested air-defence systems, including the Franco-Italian SAMP/T.
After months of costly arms deliveries, Crosetto said the European Union should provide financial support to countries that were supplying Ukraine. He added that Italy was also open to suggestions for joint procurement by the EU Defence Agency.
He said Europe would never allow a Ukrainian defeat but added that the allies also had to lay the groundwork for peace talks and avoid escalating tensions with Moscow.
“Nobody will win this war in the traditional sense and they (Russia) are aware of this, but nobody should think that Europe and NATO want someone to lose it at all costs,” Crosetto said.
He added the outbreak of full-scale war on European soil had changed the defence outlook across the bloc and a major overhaul was now needed to face future challenges.
“Europe thought it could build its defence in a world without wars …. it woke up from a dream and found itself in a reality in which a traditional war of invasion and territorial occupation was possible,” he said.
European armies would need to look closer at bolstering special forces, that react swiftly to threats, Crosetto said, while the whole defence industry should be more efficient.
“The time needed for military research and development is much longer than for non-military sectors and this is another thing that will need to change,” Crosetto said.
On the domestic industrial side, Crosetto dismissed speculation about a merger between Leonardo and shipbuilder Fincantieri (FCT.MI), saying it was not on the table. ($1 = 0.9450 euros) (Source: Reuters)
19 Dec 22. PM meeting with Prime Minister Kallas of Estonia: 19 December 2022. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held talks with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas today, following the JEF Summit in Riga.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held talks with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas today, following the JEF Summit in Riga.
Speaking on the plane from Latvia to Estonia, the Prime Minister underlined the UK’s commitment to Estonia’s security as its NATO framework nation and said he was pleased we had been able to increase the lethality of the battlegroup that remained in Tapa, which sent a strong deterrence message to Russia.
Turning to the trade and technology relationship, the Prime Minister said he was delighted to be able to sign the agreement of a Tech Partnership between the UK and Estonia today. It was important like-minded, technologically advanced countries like the UK and Estonia continued to strengthen cooperation in technology fields, he added.
The leaders both looked forward to visiting troops in Tapa together this afternoon. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
19 Dec 22. PM thanks British military protecting global peace and security at Christmas. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanks troops for service and dedication in unprecedented year of global instability following the invasion of Ukraine.
- Prime Minister thanks troops for service and dedication in unprecedented year of global instability following the invasion of Ukraine
- Sees first-hand the important work of UK forces as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence on its eastern flank
- Pays tribute to Armed Forces personnel who are spending Christmas abroad without their families, telling them their service will not go unnoticed this festive season
The Prime Minister has today paid tribute to the professionalism and bravery of UK Armed Forces in an unprecedented year of global instability.
Addressing military personnel in Tapa, Estonia, he told British troops their service and dedication would not go unnoticed this Christmas, and their selfless commitment was instrumental to keeping the UK and our allies safe.
Around 6000 marines, soldiers, sailors, and aviators will be deployed across the world this Christmas, serving on 33 military operations in 28 countries. They will be supported by dedicated merchant sailors from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and civilian staff.
More than 1000 of those Armed Forces will be on Op Cabrit across Estonia and Poland, including the King’s Royal Hussars, from Catterick Garrison in the Prime Minister’s constituency in North Yorkshire.
The Prime Minister thanked those troops personally today, and, alongside Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, served Christmas lunch to NATO forces. He also shared mince pies with UK military personnel after dinner, hearing first-hand about their experience as part of NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence across the Baltics.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “This year, we have seen a full-scale war return to our continent, and I am immensely proud of the selfless dedication and bravery of our Armed Forces who responded to that threat to keep the UK and our allies safe.”
As thousands of our military personnel prepare to spend Christmas on deployment, I know that this year of all years we will not take their sacrifice, or the sacrifice of their loved ones, for granted.
Christmas, after all, is a time for peace, and as alongside our allies, we’ll continue to support our Ukrainian and European friends in pursuit of a return of that peace.
This year, partly in response to the invasion of Ukraine, more than 12000 UK military personnel have been deployed across Europe, from Cyprus in the Mediterranean to Norway within the Arctic Circle, across land, sea and air.
In Estonia, the UK temporarily doubled its footprint in response to rising tensions, underlining our commitment to NATO and wider European security. We have since bolstered the lethality of the deployment with multiple rocket launch systems and short range air defence, allowing force numbers to be reduced and redeployed in other areas of the world.
The UK’s contribution to European security has not just been on land in 2022, with the Royal Navy deploying on nine different operations across Europe, involving 31 ships and submarines, six Naval Air Squadrons and 1750 Royal Marines.
And the UK played a leading role in protecting European skies, with around 1900 UK military flights patrolling, gathering intelligence and providing essential transport and resilience across the region this year.
From January 2023, UK Apache and Chinook helicopters will deploy to Estonia. This additional surge capability into Estonia will include an aviation task force of three CH47 helicopters, followed by a deployment of four AH64 and two Wildcat Helicopters. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
19 Dec 22. PM meeting with Prime Minister Kariņš of Latvia: 19 December 2022. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš in Riga today. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Krišjānis Kariņš in Riga today to thank the Latvian leader for hosting a successful Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit. The Prime Minister welcomed the already strong defence cooperation between the UK and Latvia. Both agreed on the importance on continuing to strengthen that cooperation in the future.
Discussing the opportunities to strengthen bilateral ties, including in the digital and medical technology industries, the leaders agreed to work together to accelerate the trade relationship between both nations.
The Prime Minister added that he hoped to welcome Prime Minister Kariņš to the UK soon, where there is a large Latvian diaspora community. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
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